Since making her debut on the fifth season of American Idol, Katharine McPhee has finally returned to television with Smash, the new musical drama on NBC. However, she’s no newbie to acting—she had a role in the 2008 comedy The House Bunny and also auditioned for a role in The Hangover! Read on for how she handled rejection from what became one of the biggest films of 2009, and how it’s helping her in her new role as Karen Cartwright.

“It was between me and the girl who got it for The Hangover [as] the bride,” said McPhee to People. “I didn’t get it, but I went all the way. I would have loved to play that part.”

The singer actually held no hard feelings for the film—in fact, she had no problem enjoying it!

“It was so much better than I would have ever thought it could be,” she said. “It was unbelievably hysterical, and I remember in the theater I was like, ‘I wish I had gotten that part!’”

The rejection has helped her adopt the Smash role of Karen Cartwright, who is fighting for the lead in a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. McPhee admitted that she identifies with the challenges her character faces.

“I think you’re always in that place, no matter what level you’re at. Even the biggest of actresses, unless you get the direct offer, whenever there’s a hot project, all the top actresses go in for the part. Everyone in this business can relate,” she said.

She continued, “It’s always about trying to prove yourself, to get people to see you in a different light, and in my case it rang more true, because I’ve come close to getting movies and not getting them…It’s just the name of the game.”

Nevertheless, she looks forward with optimism and encourages others to as well in their own endeavors. “You keep plugging ahead if you believe in yourself, and you have people around who believe in you.”